Seventh movie in the series and the first to star Jamie Lee Curtis as her character since Halloween 1 and 2. It is 1998 and 20 years after Michael Myers's attack on his unknowing sister Laurie Strode. Since then Laurie has lived with the danger of Michael tracking her down again and therefore faked her death in a car crash and reinvented herself as Keri Tate, the head-mistress of an executive school. However, she is having trouble with the drink, keeps having nightmares featuring Michael and keeps having run-ins with her rebellious teenage son, John, who doesn't believe that Michael is alive. Some of the kids decide to have a Halloween party and Laurie comes out and tells the truth to her boyfriend, teacher Will. However, somebody searches through the papers of recently deceased Dr. Loomis and finds that the info on Laurie's whereabouts are stolen. Michael has found Laurie and people start to disappear during the party. But this time Laurie is not going to run and stays to fight the madman whose trying to complete a job that has taken nearly 20 years so far...

The 20th Anniversary of Halloween...what an occasion for horror fans. And for me personally, because this was the first Halloween film I had a chance to see in theaters when it came out. And what can I say about it. What the hell were they thinking? That's what I have to say about it. First off, we lost Donald Pleasence, who passed away after filming the last film, so there is a big hole in this film, that can just not be filled. So that is a sad thing...but in retrospect...I'm glad he wasn't around to be apart of this film.

They take Michael out of Haddonfield...that is a big no-no. Sure, the film starts out in Haddonfield, but it ends up in some college prep school in California. And this was only done for the sake of bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis, to reprise her long lost role. Because as a character, even if Laurie Strode did fake her death, why on earth would she go back to Haddonfield. Not to mention, they bring her back, saying she faked her death. Right? Well, what was she thinking with the Jamie Lloyd character...HER DAUGHTER. She wins worst mother of the century I think. But the producers felt the need to bring her back for the anniversary, which made a lot of fans happy, but in the long run, I think tied the films hands a lot. It just made it so limited to what they could do.

The setting is one that viewers will not be accustomed to seeing in a Halloween film. And the same goes for the feeling of this film. It a new film for a new generation...but it doesn't feel like a Halloween movie to me. And let me start off the “uber-bad” with Michaels mask. Oh my, what were they thinking. I remember seeing the trailers for this before it came out, and when they finally showed the mask, I was floored. It was by far the worst mask in any of the films. It had no detail...solid white...and just looked flat. It absolutely was not Michael Myers by any stretch of the imagination. But when I saw it in theaters...the mask was different. I guess the fan backlash made its point across very clearly. So they went back and reshot the scenes with Michael, and replaced all the masks. Or did they? Upon viewing it, there was one scene in particular that didn't seem quite right to me. And low and behold when I purchased the 25 Years of Terror documentary, what I thought had happened...did happen. That's right. Michael as a CG head in this film. It's only one shot, but it looks so god awful that it can't be excused. Fix them all the right way...or don't fix them at all...that's all I'm going to say,

The cast in this film is very forgettable, and I don't care to mention all of them. But there was one casting choice that I feel needs to be discussed. Why the hell is LL Cool J playing a security guard in this film? Granted, I don't think he is that bad of an actor. At this time I'd say his most notable role was in Toys (with Robin Williams), and that wasn't a very good performance...it was actually pretty bad. So to see him in this film as a security guard...not to mention an aspiring exotic fiction writer (give me a break), was very disheartening. His performance is so phoned in, that he is completely lost to me in this film. However, since he was friends with Laurie's son in this film, and his mom was always riding LL's case throughout the film...a part of me was wishing for a “mama says know you out” reference. But it never came (tear rolls down cheek).

As far as the killing goes in this film...I have to give it a nod. They were really trying to keep with the times; being that Scream came out two years early and really set the bar high. So this film tries to toe the line between subtle, and over the top. And it actually does that quite well. There are some scenes that make you twinge in pain...especially when the girls leg is practically hanging off while she's trying to crawl away. And some scenes played homage to the original films...more to the point, the second film. Where Michael stabs the nurse in the back and lifts her up, killing her...that is brought back at the end of this film...which made me happy, because at lest it showed some loyalty to the franchise.

And lastly...for a film that was going to be the “end”. How do you kill someone who cannot die. Well, you cut that fuckers head off right. As an audience member, we all knew Michael wasn't dead the first time around, so when Laurie decided to steal the ambulance with Michael in it, and drives off...I was expecting something great. And I have to say, I was a little surprise with the decapitation. Because that seems pretty damn final. But the minute I walked out of the theater (I was with my family), I said, “I can't wait to see how they bring him back after that. And oh it is interesting.

All in all, I have totally mixed feelings about this movie. I was expecting much more from it at the time. And to a point I still do whenever I sit down to walk it. But it is what it is, and it will forever be a part of this franchise, for better or worse. But I do not think this is a good Halloween film. It is actually in the bottom 50% for me. However, I do think this is a rather entertaining horror film...and that is something to look at. So I good recommend seeing it as just that, a horror movie. If you are looking at it as a Halloween film, I feel you will be rather disappointed. And that was the last the world would see of Michael Myers...that is until four years later, in 2002, with Halloween: Resurrection...

Till Next Time Kiddies...

-RJ